Summer Concert Series Back in Adams Morgan

Adams Morgan Partnership is again organizing a free music series for the corner of 18th and Columbia, in front of BB&T Bank . Last year there were performances on five Saturdays.

The music starts at 5pm and ends by 7. I went to two last summer and they were pretty hot, literally and figuratively. Here's the schedule. It's looking verrrrry similar to last year's, but that's not a bad thing:

June 5: Kid Goat (rock, great song writing)

June 12: Lucky Dub (reggae)

June 19: Virginia Woodpickers (traditional bluegrass)

June 26: The Public Good (local, ex-Popes)

July 3: The Public Good

July 10: Pablo Gabriel (Latin jazz)

Streetcar Funding Abruptly Pulled, Then Reinstated

Wow. This was a shocker. The DC City Council voted yesterday to strip the nearly $50 million slated to fund the first phase build-out and operation of the DC streetcar lines.

Almost immediately after the decision hit the airwaves and websites, a reversal. The funding was restored by 3:00pm after calls to members' offices, a mini-revolt on the web and even intervention of a member of Congress (surprise).

This is the same project that was highly touted this month as the future of DC transportation. The city trotted out its experts, other DDOT employees, an actual street car, a few Circulator buses, Smartbikes and heaps of pamphlets and display boards. All in an effort to educate residents about the extensive and exciting transit changes just around the corner. Except it was (almost) all a sham.

The initial vote yesterday was odd for several reasons. First, the city had, for years, planned a citywide network of streetcars, running east-west, north-north, touching every ward. Tracks have been laid and cars purchased and delivered. We are 80% there. So much time and money have invested in start up and the future looks bright.

Second, so many businesses have been affected by the streetcar saga, especially along H Street NE, where track-laying has disrupted vehicular and pedestrian traffic on the street for months on end. And the potential payoff of customers delivered by streetcar is a key reason they would have looked forward to completion.

Third, the streetcars were part of the plan to help alleviate crowding on Metro bus and rail. The Circulaotor was partly a success because it wasn't a Metro bus or train. The routes were unconventional, the city didn't have to consider the needs of VA or MD, and changes could be made to meet customer demand (adding a stop, rerouting, etc) quickly. Streetcars were a significant piece to the puzzle of solving Metro overcrowding. Not the only piece, but a significant piece. The only way we'll get around the Metrorail "full-capacity" issue is to add more transit options, i.e. streetcars.

Legislating is a tricky thing. You have to please multiple constituencies and at the same time make financially responsible decisions for the District. Not an easy task. But to temporarily kill a project that was so far along and with so much infrastructure and moving parts already in place was, well, ill advised. I'm personally happy that the funding was restored. And the Council seems to think that they've found the funds to cover the other essentials that apparently took precedent the day before. Here's to riding the rails.

Sick Downtown Block Party This Sunday

UPDATE: Moved around the corner to larger parking lot at 425 K St NW. Thanks to The Triangle for the info.

OMG... it's summer already. Evidence: Temps in the 80s, Memorial Day weekend and block parties.

DC's own DURKL will be taking care of the block party portion this weekend. They're throwing one near their warehouse in Mount Vernon Triangle.

The lot at 5th and I NW was rumored for years to be the future site of this or that, including a House of Blues at one point. Alas, it's still a parking lot. But this weekend, it will be transformed into a party space for any and all who venture downtown. DURKL is a bona fide homegrown fashion house of sorts. They have a store, the warehouse on I Steet, and bring some creative flair to Washington's fairly sedated fashion scene.

The line-up is sick. Disgusting really. Among the crazy list of DJs and performers are...

*Jackie O + Lil El (from one of my favorite parties, KIDS)

*Beautiful Swimmers (helped christen U Hall)

*Stereo Faith (Sorted, Feedback)

*Nouveau Riche (Gavin Holland, et al)

*Will Eastman (Bliss)

... and more.

It's Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. As in this Sunday. A holiday weekend people, so many of you will have the next day off. Come out. Starts at 11, ends at 7. We've already had two great outdoor parties, Sweetlife, then Mount Pleasant Music Fest. So, let's keep it going. See ya there.

Public Comment: Mount Pleasant Revitalization Plan

The District of Columbia Office of Planning is shining a light on our neighborhood. The OP wants, as most residents do, for the Mount Pleasant commercial strip and the neighborhood as a while to thrive. Currently, thrive is not the word I'd use to describe mount Pleasant Street. Stunted, stagnant, other words, but not thriving. That's where we want to be though and this study and plan are a huge step in the right direction.

The plan offered by the OP is broken up into four files available on their Mount P Revitalization Strategy Page. It's 89 pages long and printed in both English and Spanish. Pretty comprehensive. In addition to laying out the existing conditions of the neighborhood, the plan discusses the publicly perceived issues facing commercial and residential development as well as the official strategy to mitigate the sordid state of progress we've been enveloped in lately.

There has already been plenty of input over the years by the public and those one liners, meetings, brainstorms and testimonies have been included in the strategy plan as well. As I said, it is fairly comprehensive. However, there is still time to comment on the draft plan itself. The best way may be in person. The Office of Planning will allow oral testimony via a Mayoral hearing at Bancroft Elementary School (1755 Newton St NW). Held on a Saturday no less: June 19 from 10:00am until 12:00pm. Kudos for having this thing on a weekend; should increase the chance of attendance for a lot of us. You'll need to register before hand in order to testify. See the DC OP page for details. Otherwise you can submit comments via written letter (imagine that) or email.

This is great news and although it promises to be a slow and probably contentious process, let's go ahead and get it all on the table so we can move ahead, keeping Mount Pleasant one of the best neighborhoods in the District.

Bike to Work, Rally Home

May is National Bike Month. And today is Bike to Work Day. Washington Area Bicyclist Association is obviously playing a large role today, hosting several events. Since most of us are commuting towards downtown Washington and not the other direction, most of the action is focused there or at least headed that way.

The Mount Pleasant bike convoy will depart for downtown DC from Lamont Park at 7:30AM. Like the other convoys, it will end at Freedom Park (14th and Penn Ave NW, in front of the Wilson Building). There will be refreshments, some giveaways, lots of other bikers and a few speakers. I think Fenty was there last year?

After a hard days work, get back on that bike and head home. If you're coming back to Mount P, make a short detour over to our neighbors in Columbia Heights for a WABA sponsored end of day-start of weekend rally. That's at the 14th and Park Plaza.

There are more and more bikers sharing the road, not just in DC, but in urban, suburban and rural areas all over the U.S. Yes, the bike-vs-car story is so old and there have been so many stories and hyperbole over that issue. But events like today's bike to work day are a positive way to reinforce that bike transport is pretty much here to stay in the United States and we should do our best to accommodate riders, promote bike friendly policy and ensure safety of drivers and bike riders. Be open to making that happen. Good riding people.

Another Cool Project Via Bluebrain

Bluebrain, who were behind the Dupont Boombox Experiment, are back for more creative music fun. They've created a new music track that will be available for free on their website starting, well now. And here's the cool twist. It's been engineered by Bluebrain specifically to accompany you through the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's Sant Ocean Hall. Ocean Hall, which opened in late 2008, was the largest renovation and installation in the Museum's nearly 100 year history.

The music track is mostly ambient, but there is structure and some mood changes as the piece progresses. Total time is about 17 minutes and a half. I guess it totally depends on if you're a reader of the information panels or not, but if you're like me, you could just press play and take in the huge replica of North Atlantic Right Whales, giant squid, and the rest of the 23,000 square foot exhibit and be happy.

A nice getaway from the screaming kids, pushy grandmas and bickering, terribly dressed married couples from the Midwest (sorry, bad memory).

You can download the mp3 file from the Bluebrain website here. Perfect for a rainy day, or whenever you get a chance to visit Federal Washington for 17 minutes or so. Enjoy.

Storefront Opening for a Change: Revo Nails

Amid the seemingly endless closing notices I've had to report over the last few years, there are always a few "openings." It's not all gloom and doom for Mount Pleasant Street. There are vacancies, yes, but the strip is still viable for investment for retail or even institutional purposes. The residential sector seems to be taking care of itself.

Revo Nails opened just over one month ago at 3161 Mount Pleasant Street NW, next to Rose Jewelers. It replaced a generic checks cashed business, which I believe actually went by the name "Checks Cashed." I mean, really. I'm opening a business called "Meals Cooked." No, I kid.

I've never gotten a pedi. Or a mani. For the cosmetically challenged those are short for pedicure and manicure. Any idea about this place? Not sure if they offer other salon-like services like haircut or wash. If you've been, please add your 2-cents. Glad to be reporting on a new business on our main street. Cheers to Revo and good luck.

Behind the Bar: Chief Ike's

Chief Ike's Mambo Room. Columbia Rd NW at Ontario Rd. When I first moved to DC I could be found here at least once a week. I'm here less often now, but this is a great place for football watchin' and they do have bands every now and again. The patio is a totally underrated place to have a drink and it is just far enough from the maddening crowd of 18th Street to be worth it.

New Coffee Shop in Adams Morgan?

The most prominent retail space at the Adams Station condos --2421 18th St NW-- has been unoccupied since Caribou Coffee peaced-out a couple of years ago. This address is trafficked by pedestrians and cars morning, noon and night. It's near the geographic mid-point of the 18th Street bar and restaurant strip. Condos above, a parking lot behind and direct street frontage to die for. A mystery to me how this space has remained empty for so long.

Anyway, I have no idea of what, if anything, may be going on here, but there appears to be a little action inside the property. Chalk filled menu boards have gone up over the register area. They list various coffee items and the standard 'salads, soups and sandwich' fare of a small time coffee shop or light fare restaurant. The fireplace from Caribou days (if memory serves) is still there and the disheveled nature of the place looks as if someone is setting up for something.

I have a few grainy secret-type photos from this weekend. I mean, there was really no effort to conceal the work going on there, so that's a clue. Anyway, hopefully it becomes something cool and most importantly not temporary! Good luck to whoever is undertaking this endeavor. The rest of you: if you know something, just tell me already! Happy Monday.

DC Streetcar Plight Goes National

Here's a short CNN piece on the DC streetcar fight. It is brief, but Council member Tommy Wells and others try to explain both the importance of getting streetcars up and running in the District as well as the mostly lame argument of preserving vistas and whatnot. I'm dismayed that we may have to wait additional months to implement the streetcar program because overhead wires aren't aesthetically pleasing enough. I do not buy the theory that they will obstruct views of monuments and memorials. When it comes to getting DC residents around DC, DC should decide.

Major Changes at Key Intersection

Yesterday, the intersection at 7th and H NW in Chinatown took up a new set of rules. In a pilot program by the District Department of Transportation, pedestrians are now allowed to cross diagonally through the intersection while all cars are stopped at red lights. In additional, all turns are prohibited at all times.

There were up to five DDOT traffic controllers at the intersection at times yesterday. I don't think that is a permanent solution, but they sure helped. Crossing diagonally; we can learn to do that. The hardest part will be teaching the drivers that turns are no longer allowed here. Not from H onto 7th and not from 7th onto H. I observed several light cycles and this was the biggest problem. There is some signage on the corners, but maybe some overhead signage is necessary? Something that is front and center to the drivers line of sight that says "NO TURNS." Most of the denied turners were attempting to turn right, eastbound onto H, from northbound on 7th.

DDOT estimates 27,000 pedestrians and 26,000 vehicles use this intersection each day. That's more than 1 person for every car. Pedestrians are given an exclusive cross signal for about 30 seconds every three cycles. That means they can cross 7th, H, or diagonal while ALL vehicular traffic is stopped. Pedestrians also get to cross with the vehicle lights as they were before. The difference now is that there are no turns allowed, so the traffic, in theory, will flow much faster through this area.

Mount Pleasant Farmers' Market

Yeah. It's back!

Bike Lanes in the Federal City

What a great sight. Bike lanes on Pennsylvania Ave. Now, these obviously aren't the first bike lanes to be installed in downtown DC. And yes, there are even bike sharing stations just blocks from "America's Main Street." But, to see such a major thoroughfare, a part of L'Enfant's plan, striped with lanes meant specifically for bikes is such a huge statement. A statement that bicycles are a viable, important and crucial part of the transportation network.

Pennsylvania Avenue between 15th Street NW and the United States Capitol Building was no treat for bikers before. In addition to the previous lack of marked lanes, the street is heavily traveled by commuter and local buses and can be intimidating because it is so wide and generally very busy.

The new lanes occupy the middle of the road, which was, for the most part, an unmarked median before. New signage directs bicyclists to follow designated traffic signals and to use the pedestrian crosswalks when making turns. I love it! A great message sent to bikers and drivers, living DC and visiting from beyond: Biking should be a safe, efficient and promoted mode of travel in the nation's capital. This is the work of the city by the way. Thanks DC.

Friday Fun Post: To Taser or Not to Taser

Did you know Taser stands for Thomas A Swift's Electric Rifle? Fascinating. The electronic weapon's inventor was inspired to name his company after a favorite childhood book. Anyway, you may know that earlier this week a Philadelphia Phillies fan (the gift that keeps on giving) ran out onto the field of play during a game. He eluded security staff and police for several moments until he was subdued by a Philadelphia police officer using a Taser weapon.

Philadelphia Police Chief Charles Ramsey (former DC Police Chief) has, not surprisingly, declared the officers actions as appropriate. Straw pols among fans and players indicate that most are OK using this type of force in order to deter fans from running of the field or to stop them once they have run onto the field. I'm not so sure. Seems a little excessive in my book of tactics. Can't we just tackle the guy and charge him with a serious trespassing offense? But, to some, having a possibly intoxicated or player-obsessed fan running around, interrupting the game, counts as a more serious offense. For what it's worth, the Phillies now have a new policy in place which calls for stadium security to handle runners; without Philadelphia Police and without Tasers. Did they make the tight call?

poll by twiigs.com

More Streetcar Photos

Photos: See DC's Streetcars Close Up

DDOT is giving us a chance to see the Districts new streetcars up close this week. They've set up shop in the 10th and H parking lot (the future City Center DC) and are showing off the new public transit vehicle as well other successes like Circulator and SmartBike. The mini showcase is happening every day and ends Saturday. 11am-7pm today and Friday and until 5pm on Saturday.

You can board the streetcar and get more information about routes, time lines and infrastructure issues in a tented information room across the lot. Nice work by the city here keeping us informed and laying the groundwork for the needed support in the fight to install some sort of power infrastructure, most likely through overhead wires. Personally, I can't wait! So cool.

Crash Closes Library, Fabio Still Standing

Only days after opening, the Mount Pleasant interim Library is closed after being run into. An SUV hit the back of the Library at 3162 Mount Pleasant Street NW at the hands of an (allegedly) drunk driver.

Walked by last night and, yeah, there is a pretty big whole in the rear of the building. Definitely doesn't look safe at the moment and word is the library will be closed for about a week. To the driver: 2:30pm? Come on. DWI at 2:30 and you wrecked a library. Nice. Nice and terrible.

In the photos here, the vehicle pictured is not the one which stuck the building. There were a few workers clearing brick and other debris from the alley at the time.

On another library note, I went to Old City Cafe for some falafel and to check out the book exchange set up by the District Library Dynamos (in response to the smaller temp library). There were two low bookcases with a wide range of books. Lots of dime store paperback novels, a few travel guides, a fair amount of reference books and FABIO.

Temporary Library Occupies Storefront

The Mount Pleasant Branch Library is open again. In a much smaller and decidedly interim space. Super Save market used to occupy this building at 3162 Mount Pleasant Street NW. Now books fill the selves, not food. The slick looking tiny library will have to suffice for at least 18 months while the real library at 3160 Lamont Street (at 16th St) undergoes a major renovation and expansion.

Since this library is obviously much smaller than the real library, a local library advocacy group has set up book exchanges, both along the 42 bus route. Haydees, just a block away at 3102 Mount Pleasant Street NW and Old City Cafe at 1773 Columbia Rd NW are the locations for book exchange set up by the District Library Dynamos. Basically a leave-a-book, take-a-book program.

I haven't visited to see the selection, so I can't speak to it. But I do own several good books which could use a new home.

Anyone been to the new temp library or a book exchange location? Do tell. Do tell.

Photos: Mount Pleasant Music Festival

Wow, what a great day! After last Saturday's first farmers' market of the year, we were treated to a fab day of music and general merriment. The Mount Pleasant Music Festival was a success from where I stand; the music was A+ and the crowd was as well. Lamont Park was activated with people from 9am until 7pm. Picked up some apples, cider and bread from the Mount Pleasant Farmers' Market and planned to meet a few friends in the same spot later on during the day for the Festival.

Glad we did. Mount Pleasant Main Street pulled off quite the event and I hope there is another at some point. Even the traveling band, Royal Forest (Austin), was great. The music went on pretty much non stop and Radio CPR's DJ Wanako spun tunes in between sets. The sound was perfect and so was the crowd.

Little kids danced to the beats and the adults sat on blankets, stood behind the stage, or leaned on fences while politely cheering after each song. I'm guessing maybe half the crowd was actually from Mount P, which is great, because that means the Fest was good enough and promoted enough to become a destination. Over the course of the Fest, there must have been a couple of hundred observers? I don't know, I'm terrible at guessing crowd sizes. At any one point, there were about 60-70 people watching any given band, with the larger crowds gathering towards the end of the Festival. Deleted Scenes capped it all with a spirited set, preceded by the Four Horseman who were quite the crowd pleaser as well. Well done all around folks, well done.